a potential bomb shell about the ft. hood shooting suspect. why key people may have been worried about major hasan even before he ever got to the army post. also there's new information this morning about a prominent runner, there you see her, who was forced to take a gender test. the big question now is whether she'll get to keep her gold medal and, of course, what's happening with that test. also -- >> it's a little bumpy. but gets us around. >> some states make it illegal to be on your phone while you're driving. but what happens if your phone is actually controlling the car? hey, there. thanks for having us over. i'm virginia cha. let's get started. we'll have more stories for you in a moment.

first a story we want to update you on. we've been telling you about that computer glitch at the airport that's causing all sorts of problems for aircraft over the country, sitting on the ground. showing you live pictures there. reportedly that computer glitch has been fixed. bob van dillen joins us with the very latest in where we stand here. >> good morning. i'll tell you what, the actual glitch was this. the pilots themselves had a hard time putting in their flight plans into the computer system that does that. so if air traffic controllers has to do that manually. that really slows down the time. that's why they had those delays this morning early. that originates in atlanta. the backup is in salt lake city. the system's backup. that was down as well. weather equipment was also down in some of the areas. we're looking at airports basically just their efficiency cut in half right now. saber flight explorer showing a lot of air traffic up in the air. the ripple effect, delays stretching across the country from chicago to the east coast. we also have weather delays. i'll tell you all about that. basically check with your carrier if you're flying out

today. full details in a bit. virginia. >> thanks a lot. new revealing details this morning about the suspected ft. hood shooter. we're learning major nidal hasan apparently had a bumpy start to his medical career. national public radio got a copy of a memo reportedly written by his supervisor at walter reed. in it the memo says hasan demonstrated a pattern of poor judgment, was counseled for inappropriately discussing religious topics with patients. >> put his islamic obsession aside, put aside hasan's apparently extremist islamic views. what this memo is saying, it's right there in the army's official credentials file, it's saying this psychiatrist could be reckless for his patients. he could be a danger to them. yep he kept getting promoted. as we all know he was sent to ft. hood to treat some of the most vulnerable soldiers in the army. >> mean part-time we atime we'r defense secretary robert gates

is expected to announce a military wide review of policies and practices to try to prevent another ft. hood. that's word coming from a senior defense official. also this hour, senators are set to look into the attack and what was known before it happened. also this morning, we have another important measure of how the economy is doing. money expert jennifer westhoven is here to tell us what we're looking at. jen, we're seeing more proof that the job market is really bad right now? as if we needed more proof. >> yeah. it's just the latest weekly job report. it came in, bang, the same as where it was last week. more than half a million americans filing for unemployment for the first time. we learned this morning aol was going cutting a significant number of jobs. the real headline this morning, you may remember just a few weeks ago congress signed into law, congress and the president signed into law a bill that would mean an extension of unemployment benefits. but 1 million americans may lose

their benefits unless congress does something fast. that law was supposed to mean 14 to 20 weeks more of benefits. it seems like there's been a colossal mistake here. it was basically drafted on to legislation that expires december 31st. that means everyone's benefits would run out on january 1st unless something is done. a nonprofit group says that's about 1 million people who would be on their own with no help when we've got the worst job market in about 25 years. virginia, back to you. >> all right, jen. thanks so much. happening right now, a space walk at the international space station. there you're looking at live pictures. astronauts from the space shuttle "atlantis" are floating outside to hook up a spare antenna and new cables. they might have a few other chores they're busy doing today as well. it's the first of three space walks and the first space wac for the doctor who's also the first orthopedic surgeon in space.

okay. let's keep our eyes to the sky and look at what's going on with the weather. meteorologist bob van dillen joining us now. bob, some rain in certain parts, right? some looking pretty serious? >> heavy rain right now. also snow, too, virginia. let me show you the pacific northwest. this area's been slammed over the last couple of days. it's the same thing today. look at the clouds. see them right around seattle, stretching way on back to the pacific ocean. when you see that kind of action coming in you know there's a lot of rain and a lot of wind wrapped up with that. here's that radar picture. see all the greens, the blues, the yellows. that's all rain indicated on the radar. but the white is all snow. the snow elevation right now is starting out at about 2,500 feet as some warmer air begins to come on in later today, that snow level will actually rise up to about 4,000 feet. still, we're looking at as much as 3 feet of snow over the next couple days for the northern part of the cascade mountains, especially in washington state. otherwise look at the heavy rain around portland. up towards the west.

showers there all day long. rain goes all the way up by 5 in towards seattle through the puget sound. stretches in towards eastern washington state. pull the picture out, immediately along the coast it's going to be windy today. winds gusting easily to 60 miles per hour. could see gusts over that. high wind warnings all the areas here shaded in red. rain, floods, we have the warnings, watches out there. green is the warned area. nye phi city metros not doing much better when it comes to the weather. low clouds are there right now. laguardia airport, 80-minute delay because of weather. that's not even including that glitch down in atlanta with the computer system. yeah. tough weather day there. we also have about a 2 1/2 hour delay in philadelphia because of low clouds as well. it's a tough travel day, virginia. it's one of the worst ones i've seen this year. weather, computer glitches, the whole nine yards. >> hopefully we'll get this out of the way before the real big thanksgiving travel starts. listen to this. a real life homicide

investigation is starting to look more like an episode of csi. we're going to tell you why police are turning to an expert that calls himself the bug guy to help explain the deaths of 11 women found in a cleveland home. plus, a police officer has been suspended after he tasers a 10-year-old girl. but that's not the reason for his suspension.

so afghan president hamid karzai is officially starting his second term. this morning he was sworn in at an inauguration ceremony. he promised to fight corruption and drug trafficking. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton had a front row seat, by the way. meantime, president obama is deciding rather to send up to 40,000 more troops to afghanistan. we'll keep you posted on what he decides there. meantime, this may sound like something out of the show "c.s.i. wp" bugs will apparently play a big role in helping investigators figure out how and when 11 bodies ended up at the home of anthony sowell. a bug expert will look at how old the bugs are to figure out exactly when the people died.

investigators say it is a meticulous process. it can take up to a month to finish per body. sowell, you may know, is facing a number of charges now including murder, rape and kidnapping. keep on talking to your doctor. that is the big message from health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius about the new mammogram guidelines. you probably heard this week, a federal advisory board said women in their 40s should avoid routine exams. the american cancer society, though, disagrees. sebelius says programs like medicaid will keep paying for the exams. she stressed the guidelines are recommendations, not government policy. >> we want women to have a doctor take the information, but then have that conversation about your own health history, what the risks are of having a mammogram versus the benefits. and make a determination based on an informed decision. >> the new guidelines have caused a lot of controversy amid all of this question.

the advisory board which recommended those guidelines says that the recommendations have been misunderstood. one member again stressed they're talking about routine exams for women in their 40s. okay. so how does this sound for a snack at the movies? three quarter pounders topped with 12 pats of butter. the amount of fat in that is about what you're eating when you get a medium-sized popcorn. a immediate-sized popcorn plus a soda. it was nearly 1,200 calories. that's even before putting on the buttery topping. the reason for the high calorie count? a lot of theaters still cook with coconut oil. yeah, jen. you know, i got to say, it's like you go to see a horror movie but the scariest part may actually be the popcorn. >> yeah. good, though. okay. so understand that a state is making some televisions illegal. can you tell us what this is about? >> yeah. i mean, they're not going to take your tv away. don't worry about that.

but turns out that flat screens use a lot more energy than some of the old sets. and california says it's too much. that consumers may not know what they're getting into. the energy commission of the state voted unanimously to set energy standards for tvs. that is the first state in the country to do so. again, nobody has to give up their tv. but it means future tvs will have to save energy. some of the models in stores right now wouldn't be allowed to be sold in california in two years. the tv makers are hopping mad about this. they say they weren't involved. they say it's going to mean higher tv prices. the state says, though, it'll save $1 billion a year in energy costs just in that state. it's the holiday season. turkey. cranberry. pumpkin pie. if you love the pumpkin flavor, you better stock up. some stores are already running out of canned pumpkin. you can always make your own. it does take a while. rain damaged the pumpkin crop this year. the most popular brand you've probably seen the libby's at the

grocery if you want to make sure you've got enough for christmas beyond this next thursday, buy some extra. there may not be any left. staying with the business theme. here's a business decision by one airline. it's a way to put your frequent flier miles to work. trade them in for plastic surgery. the finish airline fin air will let you trade your miles for breast implants or hair replacement surgery. even a facelift. here's the catch. you have to have the work done at a hospital in helsinki. bloomberg is reporting for breast implants, for example, you need the e live lent of 120 round trip business class miles between new york and helsinki. that's a lot of round trips. some alleged marijuana growers might have been a little stoned when they set up shop. because you're going to find out what some suspects did to make it easy for cops to find a building full of pot.

i want to let you know this is happening right now. the first capitol hill hearing on the ft. hood shootings. senators today trying to figure out what shorts knew about alleged shooter nidal hasan before the shootings and whether the tragedy could have been prevented. we'll monitor for you and bring you any highlights. meantime, a woman held hostage at a t.j. maxx store says she hid in a dark fitting room for three hours with no idea of what was going on. police in florida are still looking for two men who went into the store tuesday night with guns taking six people hostage. one hostage came face to face with one of the suspects. >> before i knew it, the gunman was in our face. and he asked me to get on the floor and put my hands behind my

back. and proceeded to tie my hands together. >> they say they now think the suspects were already gone by the time units arrived on the scene. none of the hostages was seriously hurt. they didn't get a good description, though, since the gunmen were wearing masks, hoods and gloves. hundreds of families can now visit their loved one's graves for the first time in months at a cemetery shut down because of a scandal. you may remember this. the burr oak cemetery near chicago will reopen today. this is the cemetery where workers have been accused of digging up graves to resell those plots. visitors will now need a ticket to get in. at least for now. it shows where their loved ones are buried. the arkansas officer who tasers a 10-year-old girl has been suspended for a week. but it's for not wearing a camera to record the incident. that's according to local media, anyway. remember the police reports that the girl's mom told the officer

that he could taser the girl after the girl kicked him in the groin? the mother is defending her decision to call police for help. >> i want to make this clear. i'm not calling them over here to handle my problem. i'm having them come over here to protect my daughter from hurting herself or hurting somebody else. >> meantime, the father of the girl has said he will fight for custody. police officers followed their noses. that's all they had to do. to a sizable marijuana crop. they were outside their station a week ago in california just north of l.a. when they smelled a strong odor of can bas coming from a building next year. they found a sophisticated farm. in turn they made three arrests. all right. i'm sure pretty much everyone remembers the so-called soccer bully. she was caught on tape beating up her opponent. she's now talking publicly for the first time. larry smith is here to give us her side of the story. >> yeah. elizabeth lambert says she sees

that video and doesn't even recognize herself in that. she says that's just not me. she says she'll regret that behavior for the rest of her life. university of new mexico all conference academics star was suspended after yanking an opponent by her pony tail. this during a conference tournament. she says it's been really blown out of proportion because it's a woman. she says it's expected for men to play rough by not women. lambert also says she has received threats in response to the incident. new this morning, caster semenya will keep the gold medal and prize money she won at the world championships this summer. her gender tests will be kept confidential. all this according to south african sports ministry. 18-year-old eets muscular build and rapid ascension through the ranks of the 1800 meter title a couple of months ago raised questions and prompted track and field officials to order the gender tests. the governing body says the tests aren't finished and isn't commenting. roger goodell says he's received a positive response

from fans on the league's limited tailgating. some thing that limited time before the game is the league's way to get people to spend more on food and drink once inside the stadium. by the way, a league audit shows only 2 of the 32 teams are complying with this fairly new rule. what do you think about this? on our facebook page, chris b. writes, i think this is crazy. tailgating as as much as a part of experience as watching the game itself. jeffrey says during this tough economy they want people to spend their money at the stadium. the prices for food and drinks at any sports events are outrageous. we want to know what you think. go to cnn.com/robin. click on the facebook logo. leave us a comment. we're reading those throughout the morning on morning express. rock, paper scissors. can it be considered a sport? >> personally, i don't think so. some people disagree. >> what if you do it for hours? if you're pretty good at it maybe ugd be a world champion some day. michigan's tim conrad clinched the championship after five

hours and nine matches. his final play paper covering rock. he takes home a cool $7,000. 512 people competed, by the way. there you go. >> i love the logo on the wall. >> don't you love it? it's like a peace sign there. okay. so it doesn't look good for california's money problems. speaking of money. a nonpartisan budget analyst predicts the state will face a $20 billion deficit for at least five years. even so, governor arnold schwarzenegger says he has no plans to raise taxes. the analysts suggest california lawmakers make even more long-term cuts to state programs right away. the singer who left simon cowell speechless apparently impressed a lot of you, too. am zon.com says susan boyle's debut album is the most preordered cd in its history. the humble looking 48-year-old stunned audiences with her soaring performances. the album, "i dreamed a dream," comes out november 23rd. a jaywalking turkey is one

lucky bird. >> i was a little concerned there. i was afraid we were going to start seeing headlines that said -- >> a week before thanksgiving she gets a reprieve and a new boyfriend. we'll tell you about it. y8

the faa now says a computer problem that had aircraft s sitting on the ground has been fixed. widespread cancellations and delays were caused by a problem with the system that sends airlines. oops. it sends their flight plans to the faa beginning very early this morning if the flight was headed for atlanta, for example, it was canceled or postponed. that's where problems started. it looks like the accused shooter's residency may have been troubled at walter reed medical center. national public radio obtained a copy of a memo written by his supervisor. it says the faculty had various

concerns about his professionalism and work ethic. we couldn't reach the supervisor for comment. aol will cut about one-third of its work force. that's about 2,300 jobs. the struggling internet company has 6,900 total employees. this coming after tile warner announced this week it will spin aol off to investors on december 9th. happening right now as i speak, you're looking at live pictures. a space walk at the international space station. astronauts from the space shuttle "atlantis" are floating outside to hook up an antenna. the first spacewalk for the doctor who's also the first orthopedic surgeon in space. those are the headlines for you right now. welcome back. i'm virginia cha in for richard lui today. the federal government could actually face billions of dollars in lawsuits regarding hurricane katrina. this is after a judge ruled that the army corps of engineers, that their negligence led to the

devastating flooding in 2005. yesterday he said the corps did not properly main tan the shipping channel linking new orleans to the gulf of mexico. people in new orleans recognize the importance of this ruling. >> it's a major, major win, a vindication for st. bernard parish. we're pleased in that sense. it's very hard to celebrate that the destruction was something that had to take place to get this point made. >> by the way, that mrgo he mentioned is the mississippi river gulf out let. the judge issued his ruling in a lawsuit brought by six people. they were awarded damages ranging from $100,000 to $317,000. one attorney says the ruling will also help 100,000 people

and businesses in the pairish and lower ninth ward get composition. katrina's aftermath killed more than 1,800 people, flooded nearly 300,000 people out of their homes. we are expecting a bitter fight to begin today over the health care reform bill that senate democrats just unveiled. republicans are promising to oppose it, saying it will mean higher premiums and more taxes. senate majority leader harry reid says for the first time almost all americans would be covered. >> 98% of the american people, those that have medicare will be included in that number, will have health insurance. and we'll make sure that 30 million more americans who don't have health insurance today will soon have it. i want to repeat. we not only protect medicare, we're making it stronger. >> senate democrats say their plan will cost about $850 billion over ten years.

they'd pay for it with fees on insurance, drug and medical companies along with higher taxes on the rich. there would be cuts to medicare and medicaid and other fees as well as taxes. it's estimated the cost about $350 billion less, though, than the house version. that one also calls for medicare and medicaid cuts as well as new fees and taxes. the fbi's checking into whether two chicago men may have played a role in terror attacks in india. the agency says one of the men was in contact with the pakistani group that india blames for last year's attacks in mumbai. police arrested the men last month. they're accused of plotting to kill a danish newspaper editor for publishing cartoons depicting the prophet muhammad. president obama is on his way back to washington after an eight-day tour in asia. before taking off from south korea, mr. obama visited u.s. troops stationed at the air base in south korea. and he thanked them for their service. >> we honor you for your

sacrifices. and just as you've fulfilled your responsibilities to your nation, your nation will fulfill its responsibilities to you. so as commander in chief, here's the commitment i make. we'll make sure you can meet the missions we ask you to go on. that's why we're increasing the defense budget, to keep you the best trained, best led, best equipped military in the world. >> president obama also announced plans to send an envoy to north korea next month to help prod that country back to six-party talks on nuclear disarmament. so how would you like to be able to drive your car using your iphone as a remote control? engineers in austin did it using a rigged car and an experimental a prk p that uses the iphone's internal sensor. so to steer you just turn the iphone and you get a bunch of people to ride on the car. touch screen sliders control the gas and brake. >> when we're driving with the iphone, we like to drive it on the roof of the car. that seems to be the most fun.

or the hood or something like that. you know, really get the wind blowing in your hair, that type of thing. that's a lot of fun. >> engineers say they've driven the car up to 30 miles per hour. i guess part of the fun is riding on top of the car. >> it's real life wii. >> something a little strange. you're not supposed to use the phone while driving. but you can use the phone to drive. >> no helmets, either. >> exactly. >> didn't look that safe. the car looks safe, right? my question to you is, why? why? >> exactly. who actually sat down and said, wouldn't this be cool if we could use the iphone to drive a car? >> salute to the technology guys. brilliant. but why? if you're traveling out there, we have the computer glitches coming out of atlanta affecting a lot of travel across the country. hundreds of delayed flights, canceled flights, too. we're also contending with two storms. one is over the basic part of the midwest. you're looking at a lot of clouds up here.

rain stretching all the way down through the great lakes in towards western parts of pennsylvania and new york state, too. here's the heaviest rain. it's right around maryland, getting out of virginia. washington, d.c. just the low clouds out there now. that will continue for most of the day. the heaviest rain is around rochester. breaking up a bit. then it gets picked up again when you get towards buffalo. the rain's going to be off and on for most of the afternoon. then the pacific northwest. another round of weather coming in today. another one for the weekend, too. look at the clouds wrapped up there. heavy rain. just blanketing the coastline now from northern oregon in towards washington state. all know for you. that snow level for the afternoon climbs to about 4,000 feet. we're watching for that. here's your heavy rain. right around that northern part of oregon coast. stretches all the way in toward seattle. puget sound covered up. winds will be very strong. high wind warnings gusting to 60 miles per hour today. worse than yesterday. let me she you video coming in from oregon yesterday. winds here are about 40 miles per hour. a lot of chop in the ocean.

surf advisory out there. winds pick up to almost double what they were yesterday. here comes storm number two. then storm number three in a series comes in over the weekend. we'll talk about that again tomorrow morning, virginia. >> good to see you, bob. thanks so much. hey, there's a battle brewing over same-sex marriage in the nation's capital. but it's not just about legalizing it. it's also about who should decide. richelle carey has more on that. we're looking for your views coming up next.

zblonchts kay. this is the chance for you to weigh in on something important. it's the "your views" question of the day. richelle carey joins us. >> i think people are definitely going to want to call, write, e-mail. they even come down here and

talk about this one in person, virginia. we're talking about same-sex marriage. the vote about how this is going to be decided in the nation's capital. this is what's happened in the last couple of day. the d.c. board of elections and ethics has decided they're not going to put this ballot initiative to the voters, the residents. they're not going to have a say in whether marriage should be just between a man and a woman. this is not going to happen. they decided just the council is going to have a vote on this. because the board said this discriminates and would be prohibited under the district of columbia human rights act if they put this to the voters. just the council is going to decide this issue on same-sex marriage in the district next month. they're expected to actually decide gay marriage is fine. now, some people say no. this should go to the voters. and in states where it has gone to the voters, they have shot down gay marriage. in states where it's been strictly the legislature and the courts, it has passed. this is the question.

do you think citizens should have the right to vote on same-sex marriage or are you okay with the government deciding this issue? the government being the courts and the legislature. call us at 1-877-tell-hln. also e-mail us or text us at the addresses you see right there. or jump into the discussion on my facebook page. richelle carey hln. i'm about to get it posted. a lot of ramifications for this. >> a lot of people may depend on how they feel about the issue based on the history. >> absolutely. >> i'll be interested to hear what people have to say. thank you so much. meantime the governor of idaho looking for ideas to cut the state's budget. he's asking residents for their help. the state set up a website to get suggestions on how to save money. so far the governor's office has received more than 100 e-mails. >> this citizen has this suggestion about doing this different efficient game or doing this different at health and welfare. what do you think?

can we implement that kind of idea to save money? >> the governor's office says they plan to release the e-mails sometime in the near future. jen likes the governor's name. listen. airports, roads, crowded for thanksgiving this year as every year. question is, how much given the economy? our money expert jen westhoven here can tell us what you can expect while you're traveling. >> aaa is talking about nearly 39 million americans on the move for the holiday. now, that is a little bit more than last year. but it's a lot less than your recent memory. think back a few years ago. if you've been to an airport or in a traffic jam, it should be nothing like that. that is because last year travel really shrank. it went down 25%. that's why we're talking about this as a money story. you may be thinking why is jen doing the travel story? it's because people have really decided they're going to put their money first, their budget, their savings. they're going to be careful in this economy.

we've all changed our habits. so a lot more people are staying home. out of the people who are going to hit the road, most of them are going to be driving. so there'll be a little bit of a pickup in traffic. aaa expects flying will be down nearly 7%. one thing helping everybody taking to their cars, gas prices are about 50 cents cheaper for every gallon than they were at this point last year. some people might take trains, too. you always hear about number one albums. number one at the box office. a video game is breaking all kinds of entertainment records. it's the new "call of duty: modern warfare ii." it took in more than $550 billion in its first five days. that's better than any movie. no movie has ever done that. this thing is so big it had a budget of a hollywood movie. $50 billion. video game sales have held up pretty well despite if recession. people think if i am going to stay home, i'll make it fun. back to you. >> movie makers must feel

threatened by this. incredible. good stuff. we've been telling you about this. the athlete whose gender was investigated by sports officials will get to keep her good medal. the test that proves whether she is considered male or female may never see the light of day. we'll let you know.

well, take a look at this. you rarely get to see a meteor this clearly. there. see it? a fire ball lighting up the sky in utah yesterday. the head of salt lake city's planetarium estimated it was the size of an oven. it was going about 80,000 miles an hour. he says it almost certainly broke up, though, before it reached the ground. thank goodness. can you imagine one of those things actually making contact with someone's house or something pop kay. new this morning. the south african's runner whose gender has been questioned will get to keep her gold medal. this has been a high interest story. >> yes, it has. caster semenya is her name. what a firestorm over the last couple months. she'll remain the world

champion. the results of her gender test will remain confidential according to south africa's sports ministry. this comes a day after track and field's government body said the test had not been completed and a day pfr that organization was expected to announce its findings. it will not comment on this today. the south african teenager, she's 18 years old, she was tested amid questions this summer about her muscular build and rapid improvement. >> ramzi has been stripped for positive doping. they keep athlete's samples and run those against new doping tests as those are developed. he says he'll appeal the ruling. the nfl's limit on pregame tailgating is aimed at cutting down on bad behavior by inebriated fans. some think it's a employ to get fans to spend more money inside the stadium buys beer and food and whatnot. we're asking you what do you think this morning. david posted people who are drunk and unruly after six hours

of tailgating will still be drunk and unruly after 3 1/2 hours. so it really doesn't matter. rob w. says the nfl wants everyone sober so they can watch the owner give the bird from the upper class boxes. in reference to tennessee titans owner bud adams. the best video of the day, swedish hockey league player scores a goal. he's so excited. what do you do? imp vise. and jump -- not through the glass. you want to jump off the glass. instead he got a surprise. it wasn't attached very well. he'll never, ever live that down. thankfully i'm pretty confident virginia has never, ever tried that. >> and i won't now. that looks like a practical joke. did somebody loosen something there? >> i don't think they did. let's hope not. >> i'm kidding. but it's unbelievable. you'd never expect that to happen. thanks so much. so an acrobatic guy decided to risk a really ambitious

gymnastics move. he measured 20 feet, put down some markers and took a really long run. check this out. >> makes it look easy, right? look at it again. that's today's viral video. hundreds of thousands of clicks on this one, because it's pretty amazing. we dug it up for you on break.com. some celebrities are speaking out about those new recommendations that women get mammograms after 50. >> you were in your 40s when you were diagnosed with breast cancer, yes? >> yes. >> how did you detect it? >> i found the lump myself. >> you found it by breast exam? >> yes, self-breast exams. that's why i advocate that we do regular self-breast exams. it's an obvious thing to do, it's common sense. if you find something that isn't right, then you go get it

checked out, which is what i did. >> yes, we're going to get to that with a doctor. did you follow it up with a mammogram? >> yes, i did. the mammogram was actually negative, which is unusual. i don't say that to scare people, but i instinctively felt there was something wrong, so did the doctor, so he did a surgical biopsy, we did a needle biopsy first, and it was also negative, but still didn't feel it was right. he did a surgical biopsy and then found the cancer. i was very fortunate. >> you can catch "the joy behar show" right here at 9:00 p.m. eastern. tonight's guest will be comedian and late night show host george lopez. so the cia is using a first of its kind tv ad to recruit arab americans. it shows an arab american family giving a dinner party. this is different from the agency's other ads because of its storytelling approach and the way it's trying to reach out to the community. the ad debuts on mainstream and

ethnic tv stations nationwide within just a few months. some of your favorite actors may be among hollywood's most overpaid. "forbes" magazine is naming names. we'll let you know which star has made that list.

right now on "showbiz tonight," the brand-new sarah palin/levi johnston smackdown. big news breaking. levi's unbelievable new sarah slam, caught on tape. >> what does she think about you posing nude? >> who knows, man. i ain't thinking about her. >> also, just in today, "showbiz tonight" with the very first look at levi's naked "playgirl" photo shoot. and who do you think is winning the sarah/levi war of words? the startling results just in today from a "showbiz tonight" poll.

the michael jackson suicide shocker. a startling development as a major figure who caused big trouble for jackson kills himself. what really happened. the brand-new explosive carrie prejean porn war. tonight, carrie's dramatic threat over her solo sex tape. will she stop it from getting out? tv's most provocative entertainment news show starts right now. hello. i'm a.j. hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. >> hi, there, everyone. i'm brooke anderson, coming to you from hollywood. and tonight, there are remarkable new developments in the sarah palin/levi johnston smackdown. >> yeah, brooke, here is what i'm thinking. that sarah palin could have never imagined when she trotted levi johnston up there at the republican national convention along with her pregnant teenage

daughter this would be the big news we would be talking about just over a year later. that this would be the big news breaking today. unbelievable. "showbiz tonight" obtained today new video of levi johnston strutting his stuff, so to speak, and taking brand-new swings at his almost one-time mother-in-law as he arrived in los angeles in all his glory. and that glory includes this news. "showbiz tonight" has now obtained the very first photo released from his "playgirl" photo shoot and we will show it to you. we're also revealing tonight the startling results we got today of a "showbiz tonight" poll that asked, who is winning the war of words? levi or sarah palin? and i've got to tell you, never could have predicted these wild results. joining me tonight in hollywood, carlos diaz, a correspondent for "extra." tonight, laura lake, author of the book, "girl, let me tell you." i want to show you this truly

outrageous new video we got of levi johnston, he's caught on tape arriving last night at the airport in los angeles. because, yes, even in his offtime, he is still slamming sarah. watch this. >> what does sarah think about you posing nude? >> who? >> sarah palin? what does she think about you posing nude? >> who knows, man. i ain't thinking about her. >> lauren lake, off to you first. i'm thinking that he should be thinking about her, because basically it's the only reason he's famous. >> right. i mean, he is thinking about her. the bottom line is, he is using this entire situation to build his brand. i'm not sure what it is yet, but it's a naked brand, so far, but a brand, nonetheless. and he's extending his 15 minutes of fame to 20 to 30 right now. >> carlos, to lauren's point, levi is milking this for all it's worth, isn't he? >> yeah. but to defend him very quickly, the question was asked, what does sarah palin think about you posing nude? i don't want to hear anything about my possible mother-in-law

and nude in the same sentence, so maybe he was just kind of blowing that office. b but, yeah, he needs to milk this as much as possible. >> every time we see pictures of him, we're looking at video of him with the big aviator glasses, playing the part of the star with the bodyguard. this is the guy that told "vanity fair" he never wanted anything to do with a life like this. wi we saw sarah palin everywhere this week. she told barbara that he basically needs to grow up. so who is winning this war of words? i could not believe the results that came in late today to our "showbiz tonight" question of the day. here's what we asked. sarah versus levi, who is winning the war of words? a pretty even split here, with 47% of the people who voted saying sarah palin, 53% voting for levi. lauren, i've got to tell you, i thought that levi would have gotten clobbered here. are you surprised that he's holding his own, so to speak? >> no. i would have voted the same way, to be very honest.

that's hilarious. but, no, i'm not really surprised. what i feel like that people recognize that levi is acting very age appropriate. he's kind of being a jerk, but he's an immature kid. what i think people don't like about sarah, she's supposed to be the adult in the situation, she's the grandmother, the mother of bristol. i think we want her to stop engaging this young little guy in these back and forths, because she's only going to come out looking immature. and he is immature. >> i've said it all along, she really shouldn't respond to any questions about him at all at this point, unless she's got something nice to say. also today, we've got levi johnston's first photo from his "playgirl" shoot. we'll show that to you in just a moment. you do want to see this. but first, the levi/sarah smackdown rages on. check out how nancy from colorado praises sarah when she called into "showbiz on call." >> caller: i did not vote for sarah palin, however, i am very impressed with her. i thought that she was very

authentic. i thought she was very genuine. i think she's brilliant. i can't wait to read her book, and possibly vote for her in the next election. >> all right, nancy, thanks for your call. but i'm very excited to play this for you. i have somebody who actually disagrees with you, nancy. it's none other than martha stewart. "showbiz tonight" call up with martha last night and she says sarah, not so brilliant. >> i wouldn't watch her if you paid me. she's very boring to me, very boring, and very, to me, kind of a dangerous person. i mean, she's dangerous. >> in what way? >> she speaks -- she's so confused and anyone like that in government is a real problem. >> there you go, martha calling it like she sees it. carlos, on team levi or team sarah? or team martha? >> i'm going with team martha. i'm going to go with team martha. thank you, by the way, thank you for giving me a choice "c"

there. if i had to choose between sarah palin and levi johnston, i would have to go with levi, and just like in the poll you had, it shows people are tired of the lying. and sarah palin went on oprah and lied, because, no, she wouldn't want levi johnston at thanksgiving, she wouldn't welcome him to the table. and levi johnston, even though he's being immature, at least he's being truthful. >> what do you think, lauren? >> amen to carlos. he's being authentically him, a young, little kid, kind of immature, and a little bit of a jerk. sarah is not being authentic in my eyes. she needs to just say, this is private family business. yes, we're obviously having issues with my grandson's father, but i'm not discussing it because i'm a grown woman and i'm supposed to protect my family. quit engaging in this nonsense with this kid. it's not a good look. >> and you've got to love martha stewart, once again. and now i know, she did not wear a sarah palin costume for halloween. >> go, team martha! >> all right. well, levi, is, of course,

hoping to get more people on his team, doing his very first "playgirl" photo shoot. we have the very first photo to show you. stay right where you are. back in 30 seconds. back now with the moment we've all been waiting for. right? right? everybody? the very first photo released from levi johnston's "playgirl"

photo shoot. i i have the drumroll please? tada, here it is. levi's first photo. take a good look. lauren, off to you. first, i've got to ask you, hey, are you impressed? >> i see way too much armpit? is it just me? like, when i see it, i look right past him into, like, armpit. you know what, he's a handsome young guy. i guess people will like it. his looks may take him another 15 minutes. i'm really just not that interested in the kid, though. i'm sorry. >> carlos, dare i ask you, are you impressed by it? by what levi's been able to put together for the photo shoot? >> really, a.j.? really? >> i'm sorry, i'm sorry. >> you know what, let me just quote the "new york daily news." their poll says, 39% say hot, 14% say not, and 47% say, why am i looking at this? there you go. >> lauren, do you think levi's fans are up for a big case of what we like to call

antisappointment with this whole thing? what's ahead for his career? >> well, depending on how much is revealed and how valuable the family jewels are, let's say, maybe his career could take him somewhere else. but where? to porn? he may have his sights on the big screen, but does he have any acting talent? we have no idea where this guy is going. i think he needs to go back to dating kathy griffin. >> good idea! the big question, how much did he reveal, that's coming up on "showbiz tonight." carlos diaz, lauren lake, thank you. tonight, big news breaking. the michael jackson suicide shocker. there's a startling development today as a major figure who caused big trouble for jackson kill himself. what really happened? also, the unbelievable ryan seacrest robin pattinson smackdown. >> what do you say to your fans who are desperate to know about you and your co-star, kristin. it's his co-star. it's a fair question.

i was just cut off for the first time ever. >> wow, this is incredible. now, robert is one of the hottest stars around, and you've got to see what happened when ryan asked the "new moon" star if he's dating co-star kristen stewart. i don't see what the big deal was. these two are on the cover of every magazine. and the brand-new nasty carrie prejean porn war. tonight, carrie's dramatic threat over her solo sex tape. will she be able to stop it from getting out? this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. >> now the "showbiz news ticker," these are more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

did you see this? the cat who made friends with a cop during a traffic stop. check out this oh, so cute video caught on a dash cam. a texas police officer pulled over a guy and the cat just showed up, climbed up the cat's leg, on to his shoulders as he

wrote out the ticket. i've got to give the officer credit, the kitty didn't stop him from doing his job. one other thing, the cop is named keith urban, so maybe they should name the cat, nicole kittyman. welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm brooke anderson in hollywood with a.j. hammer in new york. tonight, the super bowl of sexy. "people" magazine today named its 2009 sexiest man alive and, drumroll, please, it is captain jack sparrow himself, the uber sexy johnny depp. but is johnny really the sexiest man alive? julie doornan with us. this is the second time for johnny depp. why is he the sexiest man alive? >> okay. well, the thing about johnny is there's not many men out there who could pull off willy wonka,

the mad hatter from alice in wonderland, and still exude sex appeal. he has stood the test of time. we're looking for a guy who's mature and kind of wise with age and johnny, there's no one as sexy as he is. right here, right now. >> and he is very versatile, and sexy in that dark, brooding, i haven't washed my hair in a few days kind of way. >> a little bit of a bad boy, exactly. >> julie, i've got to tell you, minutes after we posted on our "showbiz tonight" facebook page that johnny depp was named this year's sexiest man alive, we could not hold back the flood of ecstatic messages on our facebook wall. tatih. writes, he hasn't aged a day since nightmare on elm street or 21 jump street. he has gotten hotter with age. then there's jennifer s. like him or not, there's few men sexier. and just two words from vanessa m. "damn sexy." julie, johnny depp is 46 years

old, but it doesn't matter, does it? >> no. although i will say, i think he's gotten sexier in his old age. he's enjoyed the sensation of, you know, younger actors like those that are enjoying the mania right now. and when he was on "21 jump street," but he's evolved into a family man. he's so comfortable in his own skin. and our readers really want someone who has staying power. that's what's important when it comes to sexiest man alive. >> and he's been at this for more than 20 years. like a fine wine, just better with age. especially with "twilight: new mean" opening this weekend, we've got a lot of people writing on our facebook wall, some stunned that depp won the title this week. brooke g. wrote, "i totally disagree! the sexiest man alive is so obviously robert pattinson." but jennifer s. says, "robert pattinson is cute, but he is not a man.

give him ten years, then maybe." so is johnny depp really sexier than robert pattinson? >> that's what i meant. robert is enjoying that mania, when the career just starts out. but the thing about johnny, his sexiness, his maturity, he's kind of the complete package. i guarantee you, robert pattinson, he is one to watch. and if beyond edward he can be sexier in roles like johnny has pulled off, there's knowing what robert is capable of. >> yeah. give him a little bit of time. >> a little more time, exactly. >> he may have that broad appeal, just like johnny depp. okay, julie jordan, it is always talking the sexiest man alive list with you. appreciate it. thanks. >> thanks, brooke. >> and don't forget to pick up the brand-new issue of the "people" magazine, the sexiest man alive issue when it hits newsstands everywhere this friday. so now we want to get your take on it. is it our "showbiz tonight" question of the day. johnny depp, do you agree he is

the sexiest man alive? vote at "showbiz tonighshowbizt. >> you know who i think is pretty sexy? >> who's that, a.j.? >> the "showbiz on call" operators. i think they look especially hot right here when they're answering all those calls about sarah palin. we are getting so many after we told you about sarah getting reality show offers. in fact, kathy from kansas loves the idea. love it! >> caller: sarah on the cover of "newsweek" with shorts, big deal! she should do the reality show. the reality show would be a greater hit than the book. okay? i'd watch it. i think it'd be great. sarah should do the reality show. >> thank you, kathy. >> but ellie from iowa says the reality is, she doesn't want a sarah palin reality show. >> caller: i don't feel like she should be doing a reality show. we didn't elect her for vice president, so why would we want to watch her for a reality show? i think her true colors are

really coming out with the interview with barbara walters. and i think that's who she really is. >> thank you for your call, ellie. >> keep in mind, the "showbiz on call" phone lines are always open. >> the number, 1-888-sbt-buzz. mark it down. 1-888-728-2899. tonight, big news breaking. the michael jackson suicide shocker. this is unbelievable. there's a startling development as a major figure who caused big trouble for jackson kills himself. who was this person and what really happened? and the unbelievable story of how nicolas cage may have blown through his entire fortune. i'm talking shocking reports today from the guy who used to handle cage's money. 15 houses, 22 cars, and a $1.5 million comic book collection. "playgirl" figures its audience is about 50% gay. the print edition was discontinued about a year ago,

but they're bringing it back with levi johnston's story the first issue in january. >> we just show youed you the v first pictures of levi's shoot. we'll take you inside the shoot. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. time now for the "showbiz news ticker." more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

now on "showbiz tonight," a suicide shocker. a startling development as a major figure who caused big trouble for michael jackson kills himself. what really happened? carrie prejean's porn fight. the battle between the former beauty queen and the company that wants to release her solo sex tape. can she stop the tape from getting out? what do you say to your fans who are desperate to know about you and your co-star, kristin? it's his co-star. it's a fair question. i'm sorry, i was just cut off for the first time ever. >> the ryan seacrest/robert pattinson smackdown. the explosive reaction when ryan dared to ask the "new moon" star if he's dating kristen stewart.

plus, more shows breaks from the "showbiz news ticker," tv's most provocative entertainment news show continues right now! welcome back to "showbiz tonight." it's 30 minutes past the hour. i'm a.j. hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. >> and i'm brooke anderson, coming to you from hollywood. tonight, the michael jackson suicide shocker. >> yeah, "showbiz tonight" confirmed today that the father of the young boy who was the first to publicly accuse michael jackson of sexual molestation has killed himself. more than 15 years after his son turned michael jackson's life upside down, police say evan chandler put a gun to his head and committed suicide. but why did he do it? "showbiz tonight" has been digging to get to the bottom of this disturbing mystery, which made for big news breaking today. just five months after michael jackson's death, a major figure

in jackson's first major scandal has also made a tragic end. police in new jersey tell "showbiz tonight" evan chandler, who accused michael jackson of molesting his 13-year-old son in 1993, was found dead in a jersey city high-rise on november 5th. it's an apparent suicide. >> the police say they found mr. chandler with no questions that it was a suicide. it was his own pistol, a 38 caliber clutched in his hand. and one gunshot wound to his head. >> reporter: the shocking death of 65-year-old evan chandler was big news today, with the "new york post" declaring, jaco molest-rap dad kills himself. now the big question is, why? >> there was no suicide note, according to police reports. >> reporter: police say chandler has been extremely ill and suffering from cancer. cnn's alan duke tells "showbiz tonight" that sources tell him that chandler's role in the michael jackson scandal left him despondent and fearful, right up

until the day he died. >> he still, apparently, feared for his life, and that's why they think he had the .38 caliber pistol he used to shoot himself with. >> reporter: "showbiz tonight" takes you back to 1993, when jackson was still a major music star. in the summer of that year, chandler accused the pop star of molesting his 13-year-old son. >> evan chandler was a beverly hills dentist who in 1993 said that he found out about the alleged molestation of his son, his 13-year-old son, when he was pulling his tooth. had him under anesthesia and that his son told him, at that time, that michael jackson had molested him. >> reporter: the accusation exploded on to the front pages. authorities searched jackson's neverland ranch for evidence. >> don't treat me like a criminal. >> reporter: a defiant jackson decried his innocence. >> i'm totally innocent of any wrongdoing and i know these terrible allegations will be

proven false. >> reporter: jackson finally settled with the family for a reported $20 million. but things were never the same again for jackson or his accuser's family. >> in the years after the settlement, according to evan chandler's brother, ray, his brother was in fear for his life because of threats against him that they blamed on michael jackson fans. we understand that evan chandler was estranged from most of his family and that he moved to jersey city, somewhat, to escape that and he was living in a high-rise luxury apartment in jersey city. and that's where he was found dead. >> in another big jackson development today, janet jackson is now breaking her silence about michael's drug use. >> was michael in denial? >> i wish he could answer this question for you and not me. >> reporter: this morning on "good morning america," michael's famous sister, janet, publicly acknowledged for the very first time the jackson family tried an intervention to help michael kick his drug problem. she spoke with abc's robin roberts. >> how did he react to the

interventions that you all conducted? >> how do i say this? understood that it was out of love because of caring, but when it's something like that, people can tend to be in denial. >> reporter: so with janet's new revelations and the shocking news about the suicide, clearly, the aftershocks of michael jackson's death are far from over. now, in the past, ray chandler, the brother of evan chandler, had spoken to cnn about the problems evan had faced in the years after the molestation case. so far, ray chandler has not responded to cnn's calls for comment about his brother's apparent suicide. tonight, prejean's porn fight. the war is on between conservative beauty queen carrie prejean and a porn company that wants to sell her solo sex tape. it is just one of the stories that made for big news breaking today. carrie prejean is now threatening to sue the porn company vivid entertainment, because they just won't take no for an answers.

the company reportedly offered the beauty queen millions for her solo sex tape, but prejean said, no way. now carrie's lawyers are saying today they'll say vivid if they sell her solo sex tape anyway. and speaking of lawsuits, even more bad news breaking today for jon gosselin. he's being threatened with another lawsuit for breach of contract today. only this one has nothing to do with tlc, the company who produces his family reality show or his soon-to-be ex-wife, kate. jon's other ex, kate major, says she may sue jon for this alleged handwritten agreement between them. joining me tonight in hollywood, hyla, an entertainment journalist with fivedollarprep.com, and megan alexander, a correspondent with "inside edition." hyla, megan, i want to begin with the brand-new war of words between carrie prejean lawyers and the porn company. vivid entertainment offered carrie millions of dollars for her solo sex tape and she had no way and that she'll sue to stop

them. megan, why do you think this porn company won't take know for an answer? it seems like they're just badgering her? >> well, brooke, the fact that carrie is talking about this and battling this and not talking about her book shows you just how much she has truly fallen. obviously, she wants to keep those tapes under wraps. and i say tapes, because there's rumors now that there's several of them. i think it's something she's going to be battling for a very long time now, and it's really too bad, but these are the consequences that come from not being honest in the first place about all this. >> take a look at what vivid entertainment told us today. quote, last week, we obtained the sex tape made by carrie prejean. she's a beautiful woman and we believe that a movie based on this footage could be the best-selling celebrity sex title of all time. we've reached out to her several times and look forward to speaking to her about her options and getting started on a business deal with her. now, carrie's lawyers told us today, they are not commenting.

hyla, do you think that this porn company will try to release it without her approval anyway? >> it all depends on how much money they can make. if it's going to turn a profit, even if they get sued, then, yeah, sure. from their perspective, this is a good idea. and i don't necessarily feel bad for carrie prejean either. she made these sex tapes, she's responsible for them. if she didn't want it out there, she shouldn't have done it. and i wouldn't be surprised -- there's a lot of speculation going on out there that the timing of the release of these sex tapes coincide with her book. so, to me, this is one big grand thing for her that's actually benefiting her. it's keeping her name in the press. >> a lot of questions surrounding it, although i do think it would be superslimy if this company released the tape anyway, but we are talking about a porn company, so it might be par for the course. i want to move now to jon gosselin's brand-new legal problems. kate major who said she was jon's girlfriend after he broke up with his wife, kate, is threatening to sue him over breach of contract. radaronline posted the alleged contract between jon andeads in

major, will run any media inquires past jon gosselin before doing any on-air or print work. i, kate major, will not make any negative or disparaging remarks. jon and i will not comment publicly about our relationship." well, jon reportedly scribbled his end of the deal to kate as well. it read, "i, jon gosselin, will employ kate major as a personal assistant. she will be a subcontractor. she will receive a percentage of accounts for payment based upon involvement." megan, if this whole thing is real, does jon gosselin have another big problem on his hands here? >> i think he does, brooke. the fact that it was scribbled too just shows you how chaotic this man's lifestyle is, that he's trying to capitalize at any moment on anything going on in this media circus around him. and it shows you that kate major was naive enough to sign it too. it shows that both of them were lying about the relationship and that he, you know, in the in the

first place denied it, so he's got big problems, i think. >> the biggest problem, who signs a contract on a piece of paper?! what is that?! >> it reminds me of that whole steven spielberg/amy irving prenup signed on paper. he ended up having to paid her like $100 million. but in brand-new statement to "showbiz tonight" just hours ago, jon's attorney firing back at kate major, telling us, "kate major apparently believes that jon gosselin is her obama stimulus package. the note, which i highly doubt was ever written by jon gosselin, holds as much legal water as a six-inch bucket with a nine-inch hole in the bottom. bring it on. we're ready." jon's attorney, pretty funny there. but hyla, very quickly, does it seems to you that jon really wrote this thing up? >> i wouldn't be surprised. the guy's a scumbag. he comes up with the craziest ideas in the world. this is balloon boy status right here. who writes a contract on a piece of paper! >> very good question. we'll leave tlit there.

tonight, a ryan seacrest/robert pattinson smackdown. >> what do you say to your fans that are desperate to know about you and your co-star, kristin? it's his co-star, it's a fair question. i'm sorry, i was just cut off for the first time ever. >> the explosive reaction when ryan dared to ask the "new moon" star if he's dating kristen stewart. shame on him. did nicolas cage spend himself into the poorhouse? outrageous reports today from his former financial adviser, 15 houses, 22 cars, a $1.5 million comic book collection. also, levi johnston in "playgirl." >> reporter: "playgirl" figures its audience is about 60% gay. the print edition was actually discontinued about a year ago and they're bringing it back with levi johnston starring in the first issue in january. >> the first photos are starting to circulate, but does levi bare all? and what does sarah palin think? this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. now the "showbiz news ticker." more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer in new york with brooke anderson in hollywood. and tonight, the ryan seacrest/robert pattinson smackdown. why did the "twilight" star walk out on ryan during an interview? at the big hollywood premiere of "new moon," robert pattinson was having a nice little interview when robert's publicist bared her fangs and shut the interview down. you have got to hear what ryan said to cause this major ruckus. and brand-new details about how nicolas cage lost his fortune, talking tens of millions of dollars. i can hardly believe all of what nick bought. joining us tonight in hollywood, hyla, an entertainment journalist for fivedollarprep.com. and in new york, megan alexander, a correspondent for "inside edition." so "showbiz tonight" was right there on the "twilight" red carpet where ryan seacrest had set up his radio show. the tabloids have been going crazy over all these reports that robert pattinson and his

"twilight" co-star kristen stewart are romantically involved. well, i've got to have you watch what happened when ryan asked him about it and his publicist shut it all down. >> what do you say to your fans who are desperate to know about you and your co-star, kristin. what can you tell them? >> nope. >> what can you tell them about it? >> i can tell them to watch "new moon." >> i can't ask that question? you can't ask that question to the guy? it's his co-star. it's a fair question. >> thank you very much. >> i was just cut off for the first time ever. >> i was going to say, watch "new moon," it's amazing. >> it seems absurd to me. obviously, robert is a big boy. was its ridiculous that he wasn't allowed to answer a simple question that quite frankly millions of his fans want answered? >> it's a ridiculous response. and it's not rob's fault, it's the publicist's fault. you see her in the background, wrapping it up. the way ryan phrased the question, he could have answered it in a way that didn't necessary talk about his

relationship, personal relationship, with kristen stewart. he could have said, oh, we love milk shakes. either this publicist is really good or really bad at her job. either way, what she did made the whole situation bigger, makes us talking about it as if he would have just blown it off. i don't know what this publicist is trying to accomplish. she knew what she was doing, knowing this would generate more press. >> i don't know about that. it doesn't look too good. and quite frankly, ryan's not going to be all that happy with having her client's on his show in the future. and as you said, there are graceful ways to avoid answering questions, even if personal questions are sometimes off-limits. megan, it's not like pattinson hasn't been asked this question already a million times before. and to dis ryan like that on his show, it seems like a bad move to me. don't you agree? >> i actually don't think rob did that bad. i thought he still showed that british charm. he gave a quick plug for his movie and was smiling. he didn't throw a tantrum. it could have been a lot worse. but the publicist knows these

questions are coming and he should have a prepared response, maybe a sentence or two, a way that will keep the audience enticed and satisfy the interviewer without giving too much away. i think it could have been handled away. >> hyla? >> and as big as rob pattinson is and "twilight," ryan seacrest is mr. pop culture. he's mr. hollywood. he's been around for ten years and will be around another ten years. not a smart move on the publicist's party. >> and this is a big-time publicist, not somebody who's new at the job by any breaking nic cage's spending spree. he fired his money manager claiming he had mismanaged his money. now levin claims a countercomplaint saying cage spent himself into the poor house. he claims just last year, cage owned 15 home palatial homes, four yachts, an island in the bahamas, and a gulf stream jet. i want you to take a look at the

photos we have of the palatial estates. if the claims are true, i am guessing nicolas cage will get zero sympathy from the public about blowing his fortune. >> first, i want to say, i'm the wrong person for this segment, because i have negative dollars in my account. so this isn't something i can relate to very well. but, you know, what, nicolas cage really didn't do anything different than half of the country did. and the reason why we're in a recession. the problem is, we did it with maybe one more car we shouldn't have bought or an extension to our house. he did it with four yachts. so it's on a much bigger scale, but it's no different than what everyone else kind of did. >> yeah. i have a feeling, he has a lot of fans, has made a lot of money, but at the same time, i don't think he'll be getting a whole lot of pity. and hyla, i would have thought fivedollarprep.com, you would have had at least five bucks in the bank. thanks so much. tonight, ryan o'neal says he wasn't surprised at all to be left out of farrah fawcett's will. fawcett died from cancer in june at the age of 62.

in her will, she reportedly left everything to her son, redmond, and nothing to o'neal. in a statement to discussing how her financial affairs would be handled in the event of her passing, we agreed that our son redmond would be the primary beneficiary of her estate. these were farrah's wishes, and i am perfectly happy with them. i sincerely hope that everyone will remember and celebrate the legacy that farrah left behind and will now let her rest in peace." well, levi johnston is making "playgirl" history. >> "playgirl" figures its audience is about 60% gay. the print edition was actually discontinued about a year ago, and they're bringing it back, with levi johnston starring in the first issue in january. >> the first pictures of levi in "playgirl," they are starting to make the rounds, but everybody wants to know, does levi bear all? and what does sarah palin think? this is "showbiz tonight" on hln.

these are more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

at our ports across the country, people are keeping a close eye on flight delays. we'll let you know what all this mess is about. he's making a list, checking it twice, but he may not be answering his mail. why an alaska town is mad at the u.s. postal service. and four years after hurricane katrina, a federal judge decides who should pay for the mess. find out who's getting the bill. this is "hln news and views." i'm richelle carey. thank you for your time. for the second straight day, hundreds of angry, chanting students are protesting on the campus of ucla, and this is what they're upset about, a vote that would raise their tuition, not by a little, by as much as 32%.

the university of california's board of regents is expected to endorse this tuition hike in a vote. at any moment, the board has faced deep cuts and the state and board members say they have no choice. 14 people were arrested in protests yesterday. some came from other uc campuses and stayed overnight in a tent city. the protests are outside campbell hall, which is where the board is holding its meeting. we will keep an eye on this protest for you. a crowd not quite as large as the one we saw yesterday, but that may grow over the next few minutes. we'll keep an eye on it for you. if you're taking an airline flight today, you may be in for a wait. the system airlines used to balance their flight plans crashed this morning. there's one near atlanta, another near salt lake city. the faa says both systems shut down. so, air traffic controllers had to put their flight plans by hand, which is a lot slower than using the automated system. the faa says the problem has been fixed. air tran, based in atlanta,

seems to be the hardest hit. it canceled 22 flights. a spokesperson says we will have a mess all day. three of five florida teens accused of setting a friend on fire have just pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder. south florida "sun sentinel" reports another hearing for them is scheduled in january. the two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old are all charged as adults. authorities say michael brewer was doused with alcohol, then set on fire, all in some sort of dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. doctors say he's showing signs of improvement from this attack. it happened last month. they say he still has a long way to go. he has burns over two-thirds of his body, but his face and his hands were spared. two other boys are charged as juveniles in this case. got some live pictures to show you. this is the action outside of the international space station. two "atlantis" astronauts are on the first of three scheduled spacewalks right now. they're hooking up a spare antenna and cable to the space

station. the extra gear will help keep the station running well after the shuttle fleet is retired next year. this is the first space walk for dr. robert thatcher jr., who's the first orthopedic surgeon in space. the first congressional hearing on the massacre at ft. hood is under way. live pictures from the senate homeland security committee for you right now. senator carl levin right there. the committee wants to know whether or not the tragedy was the result of federal agencies not sharing intelligence information. the panel is also going to look at the threat posed by homegrown terrorism. 13 people were killed in this shooting. the suspect, major nidal hasan, is facing murder charges. he's an army psychiatrist. he was set to be deployed overseas when he allegedly went on a shooting spree at that army post. defense secretary robert gates is expected to announce today a major review of military procedures that could help avoid another horrific incident like the ft. hood shooting. that's from a senior pentagon

official. we're also learning more about nidal hasan's background. it looks like the accused shooter's residency may have been troubled at walter reed medical center. national public radio obtained a copy of a memo reportedly written by major hasan's supervisor. it said that faculty had serious concerns about his professionalism and his work ethic. we couldn't reach that supervisor for a comment. the senate is gearing up for a final showdown over a health care reform bill proposed by democrats, a crucial vote on whether or not to even begin debate on the bill is expected to take place on saturday. majority leader harry reid says the bill will reduce the deficit while expanding health coverage to millions of americans. >> 98% of the american people will have -- medicare will be included in that number -- will have health insurance, and we'll make sure that 30 million more americans who don't have health insurance today will soon have it. i want to repeat, we not only

protect medicare, we're making it stronger. >> like the house bill, the senate bill also includes a so-called public option, and so far, republicans have stood almost completely united against the bill. kids' letters to santa will probably go unanswered at the north pole. volunteers at north pole, alaska, had been answering kids' letters since 1954, but now the u.s. postal service is tightening restrictions on the program because of privacy concerns after a postal worker in maryland recognized a volunteer as a registered sex offender. the postal regulations prevent volunteers from having access to children's last names and their addresses. post offices can use a complex code system to shield children's identities, but a spokesperson says dealing with the new restrictions isn't feasible in alaska. well, call this a sign of the times as well. jc penney is getting rid of its semi-annual big book catalog. instead, the company will focus on its online business and

digital marketing, like facebook and an iphone app. canceling the catalog will also be good for the environment. jc penney says it will cut catalog paper use by up to 30% next year. i used to love that catalog when i was a kid. the washington, d.c., city council plans to vote on a measure to legalize gay marriage next month, but they're not letting the public have a say. do you think voters should be able to weigh in, or would putting it on a ballot violate the rights of gays? your views, next.

who should decide whether gay marriage is legalized? officials in washington, d.c., say it should not be the voters. washington recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other states. opponents are suing to put the issue before voters. they want to decide if marriage is a union between a man an and a woman, but the board of

elections and ethics voted that it would violate a city human rights law. meanwhile, the city council is moving forward with its efforts to completely legalize gay marriage in the district, but the final vote expected before christmas. >> i absolutely think it's great -- >> it's a way forward. >> my name is ron sturm. i'm from west virginia, and i believe that the people should vote on whether or not there should be gay marriage in their area. that's the democratic system. that's the way it works. people don't always agree with what the legislators do or say. it should go back to the basics and back to the people voting on it. that's my opinion. >> okay. that was ron giving us his opinion, his view. we want to know what you think about this. steve is calling us from california, where this has clearly been an issue for quite some time. and steve, i understand that you also think this should be what the majority wants, what the people want, correct? >> caller: absolutely. i believe that the values of this country are based upon the

speech of the people and the word of the people, and that's what this great country was founded on, so, i -- >> go ahead. >> caller: i just really think that it's not the government's place to decide on, you know, basically, what the laws are, and i think the government's getting involved in way more than they need to be getting involved in. >> some people have said that if you put the issue of the rights of the minority to the people, to the majority, the majority are always going to win, even if you go back to the '60s, that we maybe wouldn't have gotten some of the legislation we had gotten if you put that up to a vote. do you buy that argument? >> not really. >> okay. >> caller: i mean, like i said, i think that, you know, basically, our voices really need to -- we need to make sure that the voices of the people are heard in this country, and i think that slowly, what's happening is the people have made a decision, they keep trying to overturn that decision. the people have already voted on

the subject. >> okay, steve, thanks. thank you for your phone call. i'm sorry, i just want to get some other people in, but i appreciate your point of view. jedediah in wisconsin, you do not agree with steve. >> caller: yes. i believe that it should be for the council to put to a vote. i think that this is a basic issue of a separation of church and state. now, the council seems to be voting -- i hope i'm correct on saying this -- as to whether the state, the government will recognize gay marriage. i think that the government should recognize gay marriage and i think it should be up to the council to vote -- >> it's just the district of columbia specifically, and they actually already recognize people who move there that have been married in other states. and what they're saying is they're going to be the ones who decide. they think that putting it to a public vote violates people's rights. >> caller: and i agree with that, because a lot of people tend to make gay marriage a religious issue, and if they'd put this to a vote and it passes, it doesn't mean the church has to marry gay people. it just means that the government, that particular

government does. and that's an issue of separation of church and state, in my opinion. >> okay, jedidiah, thank you for your phone call. got a lot of comments quickly on this as soon as we posted it on richellecareyhln. this is what david says -- "i think this is something that the people are not responsible enough to decide. it is up to the government to protect those in the minority, overturn all those propositions which had banned it." candice said that "i think we should get the right to vote on same-sex marriage. after all, this is america and the people are supposed to have a voice." okay, we are just getting started on this. do you think citizens should have the right to vote on same-sex marriage? are you okay with the government, meaning maybe the courts or the legislature, are you okay with them deciding this issue for you? call us at 1-877-tell-hln. e-mail us at cnn.com/hln, or fire off a text, if you want, to hlntv. so, how much do you know about the news we talk about every day?

test your news knowledge with the "cnn challenge." you get to choose your host for the game. i hope you pick me. look at this. welcome to the "cnn challenge." i'm hln's richelle carey, and i'll be your host. it is my job to teach you how this game works. it's your job to get the highest score you can. and my colleague and friend robin meade from "morning express," she's also a host. so, check out the "cnn challenge" at cnnchallenge.com and show us how smart you are. all right, the alleged mastermind behind the september 11th attacks will face trial in manhattan. that's not sitting well with one mother whose son was killed that day. hear what she said when she came face to face with the government official who decided to bring the suspected terrorist to the united states.

investigators were finished searching the home of a man in cleveland. he's charged with five counts of

aggravated murder. they haven't found any more bodies. ten corpses and a human skull have been found at that property and recovered. the victims were all women and were apparently strangled. the lawyer for defendant anthony sowell met with prosecutors and a cleveland judge this morning. they discussed separate rape charges against sowell stemming from an alleged attack on a woman in his home in september. a hearing for that case is set for december 2nd. the federal government could face billions of dollars in lawsuits over hurricane katrina. that's after a judge ruled that negligence by the army corps of engineers led to the devastating flooding in 2005. yesterday, a federal judge said the corps did not properly maintain the shipping channel linking new orleans to the gulf of mexico. people in new orleans recognize the importance of this ruling. >> it's a major, major win, a vindication for st. bernard parish and our residents and so many of the people who, for the last 40 years, have really fought to make this known, that

the nygo was continuing to be a threat and was going to eventually result in the devastation of st. bernard parish. so, we're pleased in that sense, but it's very hard to celebrate that the discussion was something that had to take place to get this point made. >> the mrgo he spoke of is the mississippi river gulf outlet. the judge issued his ruling in a lawsuit brought by seven people affected by hurricane katrina. they were awarded damages ranging from $100,000 to $317,000. one attorney says the ruling will also help 100,000 homeowners and business owners in st. bernard parish and also the lower ninth ward gets some compensation. the flooding flooded 300,000 out of their homes. people turned out for sarah palin's first book signing in grand rapids, michigan, last night. some camped out the night before

just to meet her. now palin is tacking about the ft. hood shootings. last night with sean hannity, she said the massacre was an act of terrorism. >> you think ft. hood was an act of terrorism? >> i certainly do, and i think that there were massive warning flags that were missed all over the place, and i think it was quite unfortunate that, to me, it was a fear of being politically incorrect to not -- i'm going to use the word -- profile this guy. profiling in the sense of finding out what his radical beliefs were, simple things like looking at his business card that had the secret code word for who it was that -- the expert -- >> al qaeda. >> well, that, too. >> trying to contact al qaeda. >> now, because i used the word profile, i'm going to get clobbered tomorrow morning. the liberals, their heads are just going to be spinning. they're going to say she is radical, she is extreme. but i say profiling in the context of doing whatever we can to save innocent american lives, i'm all for it then. >> palin's book tour will last about three weeks and she's

expected to make many of the same stops she did during the 2008 campaign. attorney general eric holder staunchly defended his decision to try five suspected september 11th terrorists in a federal court in new york. during a senate judiciary hearing yesterday, holder maintained that while he believes we are at war, the best venue to try them in is a civilian court. he was grilled by republican critics, but the toughest questioning actually happened afterwards, during a conversation with alice hoagland, who lost her son during the september 11th attacks. >> you are very conversant with the law. i am not. but i think that i can speak for many 9/11 families when i say that we are heart-sick and weary of the delays, and i am afraid that the theatrics are going to take over at this point, and i very much regret that. >> well, think of this, though. you know, for how long have these cases been pending? i've been attorney general now for about eight or nine months and we've taken, i think, the

first step towards resolving these matters. we are going to go through a process. they will undoubtedly try to do things in court as they did in the military commission. >> hoagland's son mark was killed in the hijacking of flight 93. holder assured hoagland he wrestled with his options and consulted with some 9/11 families before making his decision, in his words, a tough decision, on whether to try the 9/11 suspects. even though a dollar doesn't get you what it used to, you can still stretch a buck if you know where to shop. of course, hln money expert clark howard knows where. he's got the scoop. >> what i'm about to tell you is no surprise. in this rough economy, dollar stores are booming. as everybody else is closing their doors, dollar stores are opening up all over towns all over the country. so, the question -- if you go to a dollar store, are you actually

saving money? well, according to "consumer reports," overwhelmingly, yes, although there are some product categories that they were not so excited about. in most things they checked, you're saving a ton. in fact, in comparing dollar stores to the corner drugstores -- as you know, the drugstore chains have been growing and growing and growing around the country -- they both are similar-size stores, they both offer convenience. prices on a lot of goods at the dollar stores are a tiny fraction of what you'd pay for a similar item at a drugstore. so, you'll save a ton! i'm clark howard. for more ways to save, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> watch clark every saturday and suny at noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern time. clark will help you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. it's not a movie about pirates starring nicolas cage. we're talking real-life bad guys on the high seas, and the film star's getting right in the middle of them. y8

for a second straight day now, students are angry. they're protesting. they're really upset about these proposed tuition hikes. this is all happening on the ucla campus. this is outside campbell hall. that is where the university of california's board of regents is expected to vote to endorse a 32% hike at any moment. we'll continue to bring you live pictures of this. the board has faced deep cuts in state aid. board members insist they have no choice but to likely vote for this hike. 14 people were arrested in protests yesterday. some came from other uc campuses, stayed overnight in a tent city to all gather for this vote. the protests, again, are outside

campbell hall, where the board is holding its meeting. we will keep an eye on this, but they seem to have kind of calmed down. they were marching a bit ago. police are there as well. again, we'll keep an eye on it for you. if you're taking an airline flight today, you may be in for a wait. the systems the airlines use to file their flight plans -- very important, right? well, that system crashed this morning. there's one near atlanta and another near salt lake city. the faa says both systems shut down. so, air traffic controllers had to enter flight plans by hand, which is clearly much slower than using the automated system. the faa says the problem has been fixed. air tran seems to be the hardest hit airline, canceled 22 flights. a spokesperson says -- this is a quote -- "we will be a mess all day." so, just know that. got some live pictures of the action outside the international space station, and two shuttle "atlantis" astronauts are on the first of three scheduled space walks. again, happening right now. they're hooking up a spare antenna and cables to the

station. the extra gear will help keep it running well after the shuttle fleet is retired. that's going to happen next year. this is the first spacewalk for dr. robert thatcher jr., who is also the first orthopedic surgeon in space. the first congressional hearing on the massacre at ft. hood that is happening right now. we have some pictures, live pictures from the senate homeland security committee. looks like they're about to take a break, fuel actually. this committee wants to know whether or not this tragedy was the result of federal agencies not sharing intelligence information. the panel will also look at the threat posed by homegrown terrorism. 13 people were killed in this shooting, and the suspect, major nidal hasan, he is facing murder charges. he is an army psychiatrist. he was said to be deployed overseas when he allegedly went on this shooting spree at that army post in texas. defense secretary robert gates is expected to announce today a major review of military procedures that could help avoid anything else like what happened

at ft. hood. that's from a senior pentagon official. we're also learning more about nidal hasan's background. it looks like the accused shooter's residency may have been troubled at walter reed medical center. national public radio obtained a copy of a memo reportedly written by hasan's supervisor. it said that faculty had serious concerns about his professionalism and his work ethic. we couldn't reach that supervisor, though, for a comment. also, he apparently had a bumpy start to his medical career. national public radio, again, got a copy of that memo we were talking about, and again, we have not been able to verify that, but apparently in this memo it says he demonstrated a pattern of poor judgment and was counseled for inappropriately discussing religious topics with patients. >> put his islamic obsession aside. put aside hasan's apparently islamic extremist views. what this memo is saying -- it's right there in the army's

official credentials file -- it's saying this psychiatrist could be reckless for his patients. he could be a danger to them. yet, he kept getting promoted. and as we all know, he was sent to ft. hood to treat some of the most vulnerable soldiers in the army. >> and again, cnn could not verify the authenticity of the memo or reach the supervisor who signed it. hasan's supervisor at ft. hood said that hasan's past evaluations did not raise red flags about a potential for violence. the senate is gearing up for a final showdown over a health care reform bill proposed by democrats. a crucial vote on whether or not to even begin debate on the bill should take place saturday. majority leader harry reid says the bill will reduce the deficit while expanding health coverage to millions of americans. >> 98% of the american people will have -- medicare will be included in that number -- will have health insurance. and we'll make sure that 30 million more americans who don't have health insurance today will

soon have it. i want to repeat, we not only protect medicare, we're making it stronger. >> like the house bill, the senate bill also includes that public option. and so far, republicans have stood almost completely united against the bill. who should decide whether gay marriage is legalized? officials in washington, d.c., say it should not be voters. washington recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other states. opponents are suing to put the issue before voters. they want to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, but the board of elections and ethics ruled this week that the proposed voter initiative would violate a city human rights law. meanwhile, the city council is moving forward with its effort to completely legalize gay marriage in the district with a final vote expected before christmas. >> i absolutely agree. >> i think it's going to be a huge story. >> so, do you think the citizens should have the right to vote on same-sex marriage or are you

okay with the government, be it legislators or the courts, deciding the issue for you? call us at 1-877-tell-hln. e-mail us, if you prefer, at cnn.com/hln. and you can always text us at hlntv. we're going to continue to talk about this all day. jury selection begins today in the trial of a woman accused of cutting in line, a checkout line at a store, and not obeying police who tried to remove her from the property. why her supporters say the charges are racially motivated.

a new development in the case of a boy in florida, the one who was set on fire, allegedly by a gang of five boys. three of the suspects were in court today to face second-degree murder charges.

our affiliate wplg is standing by to tell us what happened in court today. roger, thank you for your time. get us up to speed. >> reporter: absolutely. those three young man all charged as adults, facing charges of attempted second-degree murder. this morning's hearing was brief, but the sentence could be long if these young men are ultimately convicted. also today, we are hearing about some encouraging signs of improvement for their alleged victim. this morning's court hearing brought three not guilty pleas from those accused of setting 15-year-old michael brewer on fire. they appeared in adult court facing adult charges of second-degree attempted murder in the october attack that made national headlines. >> i have no comment right now. >> reporter: sherry jarvis didn't want to talk about her son denver, the 15-year-old who allegedly poured rubbing alcohol on brewer at a deerfield beach apartment complex that day after school. 16-year-old jesus mendez is

accused of lighting the fire that left his classmate with second-degree burns over 65% of his body. and prosecutors call matthew bent the ringleader. he was reportedly upset because brewer alerted authorities that bent allegedly tried to steal his dad's bike the night before. two other teens, both 13, were initially charged. >> not guilty. trial by jury -- >> reporter: this morning's court hearing brought three not guilty pleas from the accused of setting 15-year-old michael brewer on fire. the ateens appeared in adult -- >> we can tell you that those three boys all being held without bond this afternoon. they'll be back in court in january. we can tell you, though, that the attorney for denver jarvis is going to ask that the court examine him, perform a psychological evaluation on him. they want to be sure that he is able to comprehend the seriousness of the charges against him. as for michael brewer, the victim, we can tell you that this week he was moved out of

the intensive care unit at jackson hospital in miami. we're told he is breathing on his own now, that he is talking with his parents. those are very encouraging signs. doctors, though, say he's definitely not out of the woods just yet. he has several months left on his road to recovery, but they say that he is definitely doing better than he was than in the last few weeks. richelle, back to you. >> that is so good to hear, roger, so good to hear. a long way to go, but any little bit of hope makes our viewers feel so much better. thank you very much for the update. we appreciate it. the missouri woman accused of attacking police after cutting in line at walmart is finally getting her day in court. i know this story sounds very unusual, but we've been following this for you. her name is heather ellis. she's facing a felony trial that got under way yesterday. she says some customers shoved her and used racial slurs when she switched lines. this happened about three years ago. when police were called, ellis claims an officer told her to go back to the ghetto and another

roughed her up. well, police say she was belligerent and kicked an officer and split another's lip. this case has divided the town among racial lines. if convicted, ellis could face up to 15 years in prison. she was offered a plea deal two years ago but turned it down. i'm jane velez-mitchell and here's my issue. prosecutors in missouri are wasting time and tax dollars prosecuting a schoolteacher because of what i think is a relatively minor incident at a walmart. an african-american woman joined her cousin in line at a walmart checkout. employees accused her of cutting in line. and to put it simply, things spiraled out of control. she claims racism. cops claim she assaulted an officer. now she's facing 15 years in prison! i don't know what happened. i wasn't there, but i do know she didn't go in there to rob or murder anyone. there are so many horrific crimes that go unsolved in this country every day.

i just wish we would focus on the killers and the rapists first instead of prosecuting a teacher who might have had a bad tantrum at a store. is that worth 15 years of her life and our tax dollars? i'm jane velez-mitchell, and that's my issue. >> all right, find out what else jane has on her mind. watch "issues with jane velez-mitchell" every night at 7:00/8:00 central time on hln. kids' letters to santa will probably go unanswered at the north pole. volunteers at the north pole, alaska, have been answering kids' letters since 1954, but now the u.s. postal service is tightening restrictions on the program because of privacy concerns after a postal worker in maryland recognized a volunteer as a registered sex offender. postal regulations prevent volunteers from having access to children's last names and addresses. post offices can use a complex code system to shield the children's identities, but a spokesperson says dealing with the new restrictions, that that's just not feasible in

alaska. fema called hurricane katrina the single most catastrophic natural disaster in u.s. history. now a judge's ruling could make the government liable for big bucks related to that storm.

we're learning more about the arrest of the suspect charged with kidnapping 5-year-old shaniya davis. local media reports a search warrant revealed that 29-year-old mario mcneill told police he picked her up in the front of her home in fayetteville, north carolina, then drove her to a hotel last week. that's the last time she was seen alive. police also say they collected hair, fibers, clothes and a straw from mcneill's car. last night on "nancy grace," we learned more about the suspect's alleged criminal history. >> what his criminal history exactly, let's pin it down. >> well, you're right, nancy, it's a mile long. it started in june of 2001. he was arrested for shooting someone in the face, neck, shoulders and arms -- >> whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. shooting someone in the face -- >> yes. >> -- the neck, the shoulders, the arm, and if i'm correct,

matt, two other people -- that makes three people were injured in that shooting incident. >> yes, you're right, nancy. what happened was he was out waiting on trial, and about a year later, he was arrested again, this time for drug possession. now, what they did is they -- >> stop. pause, pause, pause. did you just say that he was out waiting for trial? in other words, a judge let him bond out on a shooting, a multiple shooting, correct? >> yes. >> okay. all right, go ahead, please. put that rap sheet back up. >> what happens is they consolidate the two cases, he pleads to a lesser -- two lesser assault charges and a lesser drug charge. he's given 40 to 50 months of probation for shooting somebody in the face. >> probation for shooting somebody in the face and drug charges. all right. but it doesn't end there, does it, matt zerrell? >> no, it doesn't. just a couple months later, he violates his probation. he's arrested again for drug probation. he violated his probation. he is sent to prison.

now, he is sent to prison from october 2003 to may 2006. >> a lot of information, isn't it? shaniya davis' body was found last week dumped off a road near sanford, north carolina. her mother, antoinette davis, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. all the breaking news tonight, "nancy grace" investigates the death of shaniya davis. that's at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. eastern time right here on hln. the center for health and human services is reassuring women and their doctors mammograms are still recommended starting at age 40. we have been kind of in an uproar for a few days now. a federal advisory panel says women under the age of 50 don't need to get mammograms, but secretary kathleen sebelius says the u.s. preventive services task force "does not set policy." on abc's "good morning morning," an agency member rejected suggestions it was aimed the cutting health care costs. >> costs are not considered at all. this is all about providing

high-quality health care for individuals, allowing them to provide the information that they need to know to make a well-informed decision. we do not provide any or assess costs at all in our decision-making about this. it is the most -- the recommendations were based on the most rigorous, peer-reviewed, comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate information about the evidence about the harms and benefits of treatment, and then that was peer reviewed, and to provide that information for women and the physicians who take care of them is good medical care. that's informed medical care. >> well, the task force has, of course, disagreed with other guidelines. its recommendation for diabetes screening is at odds with the american diabetes association, and its prostate cancer guidelines conflict with the american cancer society's. some celebrities are speaking out about the mammogram recommendations. last night on hln's "the joy

behar show," olivia newton john says her early detection of breast cancer may have saved her life. >> you were in your 40s when you were diagnosed with breast cancer, yes? >> yes, how did you detect it? >> i found the lump fiefs. >> you found it by breast exams. >> that's why i'm so up in arms why would they not advocate we do reg laugh self exams. it's common sense. if you find something that isn't right, then you get it checked out, which is what i did. >> we're going to get to that with the doctor but i just want to hear your story. did you follow it up with a mammogram. >> yes, i did. the mammogram actually is negative, which is unusual. i don't say that to scare people but i instinct i'vely felt there was something wrong and so did the doctor so he did a needle y biopsy which was also negative. i'd had lumps before and i wasn't feeling my best. he did a surgical biopsy and then found the cancer so i was very fortunate. >> catch "the joy behar show"

right here on hln. tonight's guest is comedian and late night show host george lopez. call it a sign of the times. j.c. penney is getting ready of its semiannual big book catalog. instead the company will focus on online business and digital marketing like facebook and iphone apps. it will also be good for the environment. j.c. penney will cut catalog paper use by up to 30% next year. we're all feeling the pinch with the shaky economy. clark howard is here to help you. log on to cnn.com/clark, submit an ireport and you may be selected to be profiled on our network and get valuable money advice from america's money coach. he is fantastic. speaking of iphones, your iphone can surf the web, balance your checkbook and soon it might even drive your car. >> it's a little bumpy, but it gets us around. >> what? how an experimental app lets you steer without even touching the

screen.